Eternally Forever
by Bailation
Summary: What if Harry and Ron hadn't been able to save Hermione from the Cruciatus Curse in Deathly Hallows? An alternative view on what could've happened at Malfoy Manor, if the Death Eaters had been a bit more cruel and a bit more clever.
1. Death of the Innocent

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Bellatrix Lestrange stood supporting Hermione, who seemed to be unconscious, holding a short knife to her throat.

"Drop your wands!" she demanded to Harry and Ron. "Drop them or we'll see how filthy her blood really is!"

Ron stood rigid still clutching Wormtail's wand. Harry froze too, holding Bellatrix's.

"I said drop them!" Bellatrix pressed the blade to Hermione's throat; beads of blood appeared there.

"Alright!" Harry yelled. He dropped Bellatrix's wand, Ron did the same with Wormtail's, silently praying that Hermione was alright. She looked awfully pale, but Ron could not think the worst – he would not allow himself to do so…

"Right, Draco, pick them up!"

As Draco picked up the wands, an evil grin spread across Bellatrix's face. She exchanged the look with Fenrir Greyback, who looked sick with anticipation; he was practically drooling at the sight of Hermione's exposed neck. Ron wanted to attack him at that very moment; he never wanted anyone looking at Hermione like that.

"Greyback, I don't believe I have further use for this young Mudblood," said Bellatrix, a look between disgust and bright amusement on her face. "I think you may have her."

"NOOOOO!"

Ron's yell of protest was ignored by Bellatrix, who tossed Hermione to the ground, where she fell like a sack of potatoes. Ron tried to run to her, knowing what was to come next, but no less than four Death Eaters had threw spells at him and Harry; they both found themselves bound with thick rope at the feet of the Death Eaters, squirming to free themselves.

Greyback roared his repulsive approval and attacked. He sank his teeth into Hermione's throat, and Ron screamed louder than he had ever done that night, now openly sobbing. He was faintly aware of the Death Eaters roughly pulling him to his feet and holding him back, and the same was being done with Harry. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from Hermione, who was unconscious, and who had no idea she was being torn apart by a werewolf…

"STOP! _STOP!_" yelled Ron, wrestling the Death Eaters with all his might, trying desperately to throw them off…

"GET _OFF_ HER!" He could _not _lose Hermione…not after all they had been through…not after she had finally forgiven him for leaving…

But as Ron watched Greyback sink his fangs deeper into Hermione's neck, he knew it was a lost cause. There was no way they were getting out of this alive. They were going to kill Hermione…

There was a sudden great _BANG _directly above Ron, as if someone had landed on the roof of the Manor. Not even a moment after, the crystal chandelier that hung several feet above suddenly fell on top of the Death Eaters holding Ron and Harry. Ron immediately grabbed the wand that had fallen from one of the Death Eater's hands and pointed upward towards the ropes that were strapping his arms tightly to his body. _"Diffindo!"_

The ropes fell from his body and before the Death Eaters around him could react to what he was doing, Ron had Stupefied Greyback, gathered Hermione in his arms, grabbed Harry by the ropes that were still binding him and Disapparated.

Ron's thoughts turned to only his destination as the awful sensation of Disapparating squeezed his insides…_Shell Cottage…Shell Cottage…Bill and Fleur's…_

He opened his eyes. Hermione was unconscious in his arms and Harry was at his side, still bound by the ropes. They were safe.

But something was wrong…something was very wrong…

"Hermione!" yelled Ron, shaking her. Her skin was a ghostly pale gray, and the deep bite marks on her throat were bleeding freely. Realization suddenly struck Ron and the horrific evidence of the truth lay before him, in the form of Hermione…

"No! _NO! Hermione!" _ Ron shook her harder still, willing her to wake, to show some kind of sign that she was alive and he was not alone…

He felt a hand on his shoulder and knew Harry had wrestled himself out of the ropes, but he took no notice. He lowered his head to her chest, where he listened the hardest he had ever done for a heartbeat. He heard nothing.

Now allowing himself to sob, Ron hugged Hermione's body to his own, realizing that Hermione Granger, the girl with whom he had laughed, cried, and argued, but also the girl whom he had learned to love more than anything else, was dead.


	2. The Final Goodbyes

The funeral was held several days later, in a hidden graveyard close to Hermione's former home. It had been difficult inviting guests because almost everyone was hiding from Voldemort, especially the Weasleys. Nevertheless, everyone came, and all of them agreed to keep it quiet; Voldemort was still at large, and one false move could lead to another death.

Hermione's parents were still in Australia, so her house was empty, though it looked like it had been broken into, and Ron knew the Death Eaters had searched the house not long after the Grangers had left it. Her parents, Ron was certain, still were living happily in Australia as Wendell and Monica Wilkins with no idea they had a daughter, or that their daughter was dead.

Ron sat in the front row with Harry on his right side and Ginny on his left, feeling oddly numb. He had gotten used to the feeling; it had been what he had been feeling in the last few days.

Hermione's body lay in front of them in an open casket, but at the moment, it was obscured by a mass of onlookers. Molly Weasley had been able to fix up her many scars and bite marks with her wand, so Hermione now looked unharmed and peaceful.

Ron rose from his seat with difficulty; he was finding it more troublesome to find the will to even move these days. He fought his way through the crowd and they all seemed to part for him. And without further ado, the crowd that had previously been so interested to see Hermione, shuffled past him and found their seats. They wanted to give him time alone with her.

Ron finally saw Hermione, her hands folded over her chest and a slight smile on her face. It was at the sight of her body, immobile with no signs of life at all, that the horrific realization struck Ron like a Bludger to the head.

Hermione was dead. _Hermione_ was dead. He had known this for the last several days, but it hadn't hit him as the truth until he saw her in that coffin, the same body he had hugged, danced with, even slept next to once or twice during their Horcrux hunt.

The tears were coming faster than ever as the terrible truth sunk deep into Ron. How could he have let this happen? Hadn't he promised himself and Hermione, precisely at Dumbledore's funeral to be exact, that he wouldn't allow anything to happen to her in the months to come? What had gone wrong? Why hadn't they taken him to torture rather than Hermione? It would've been a lot less painful than this…

Another thought suddenly struck Ron as he stared at Hermione. He had never told her how much she meant to him because he had been too much of a coward to witness her reaction. Now, he could never tell her how he loved her more than anything else.

But surely she had loved him too? Harry had told him that she had cried for a week when he, Ron, had left…Ron cursed himself for thinking of that stupid night he had decided to leave, when he had already promised he would protect Hermione through the war…

All the regrets and feelings of guilt swirled through Ron as he thought of all the things he had wanted to say to Hermione for so long. And now it was too late. More tears streaked Ron's already damp face, and he reached out a hand to gently stroke Hermione's hair for a last time.

"I love you," he whispered to her, not caring who was listening behind him. He bent down and laid a tender kiss on Hermione's forehead before turning back to fall back in his seat. He put his head in his hands and sobbed, sobbed for all the regrets he had, sobbed for everything he hadn't done that he wish he had, and, especially, sobbed for Hermione.


	3. To You, Hermione

A year had passed since Hermione's death. Ron, like everyday at dusk, was making his way toward her grave from the Burrow, which, he had come to discover, was very near Hermione's old home.

So much had happened in the last year. After Hermione's death, Harry and Ron were still required to carry out Dumbledore's plan. They were forced to make a deal with Griphook, and figured out a plan to break into the Lestranges' vault, involving Harry taking a Polyjuice Potion to get into Gringotts as Bellatrix Lestrange, a curious physical sensation Harry assured Ron he did not wish to revisit. All the while, all Ron was thinking about was avenging Hermione. The next time he got the chance, he was going to kill Fenrir Greyback.

His chance came quickly. Harry and he got the cup of Hufflepuff, another horcrux, but Griphook stole the sword from Harry's grip and betrayed the both of them. They were able to escape on the back of a dragon guarding Gringotts, and within a few hours, the final battle at Hogwarts had begun.

However, Ron didn't end up killing Greyback. Not once did they meet their whole time in the castle. Ron had had a sudden thought when Harry ran off with Luna to look for the lost diadem, another horcrux. He stole away to the Chamber of Secrets, where he faced Riddle once more, before he destroyed Hufflepuff's cup with a basilisk fang.

Not long after that, another tragedy struck Ron. Fred Weasley was killed in an explosion, which had forced the life straight out of him. In spite of his brother's death, Ron couldn't help but think of Hermione again.

Harry finally finished off Voldemort, who was essentially killed by his own curse mirroring off of Harry's Disarming spell.

In light of the new world, in which the remaining Death Eaters were imprisoned and there was no Dark Lord for them to follow, Ron felt more alone than ever. He still lived at the Burrow, and stayed in his room all day, only to come out for the bathroom, or to eat a fast meal before going into hiding again. Every day, at dusk, he escaped the sanctuary of his room to visit Hermione's grave, occasionally bringing a bouquet of flowers with him.

Ron wasn't quite sure how Harry was getting along; he barely spoke to anyone. But when he did see Harry, he looked just as miserable as Ron felt.

So many people they loved had died, and he could hardly get over their deaths. Lupin, Tonks, Fred, a number of students who had stayed to fight, and Hermione…

Her name hit him hard and he was thrust into reality. He was standing before her grave, which read:

HERMIONE GRANGER

BORN 19 SEPTEMBER 1979

DIED 16 APRIL 1998

"_Only when we find ourselves in the harshest of darkness, will the light finally pour in."_

The quote had been said by the architect of Hogwarts and had been taken from _Hogwarts, a History, _but it had been Hermione who had told Ron about it. Months before her death, before he had abandoned the two of them for the sanctuary of Shell Cottage, they had been talking while Harry was on watch.

Hermione was reading _Hogwarts, a History_ for the thousandth time while Ron was staring at her, studying the way she reads. She had always bit her lip a little and wrinkled her brow in complete concentration, and Ron knew it was almost impossible to disturb her. However, in the moment he was staring, she looked up and he looked away quickly, blushing right up to the roots of his hair.

"Ron, did you know the architect of Hogwarts built the castle originally for him to live in?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "No, but I'm sure you've told me before." He grinned good-naturedly at Hermione, and she smiled back. He wanted to kiss her right then and there.

He looked down at her book and noticed one of the pages were marked were a small piece of parchment. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That piece of parchment…I've never seen you mark your place in a book before…you always seem to finish it in one setting."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know you paid so close attention to me when I'm reading."

Ron didn't answer, only grinned at her and reached for the parchment. If only she knew how much he truly paid attention to her…She allowed him to grab the parchment, but blushed slightly as Ron read it to himself, his brow furrowing at the quote written on it in Hermione's tiny scrawl:

"Only when we find ourselves in the harshest of darkness, will the light finally pour in."

"Where did you find this?" asked Ron, handing the parchment back to her.

"The architect of Hogwarts said it at some point," said Hermione, placing the parchment back into her book. "I wrote it down because it makes me feel better about what's happening right now."

"What does it mean?" asked Ron, not fully understanding what the quote meant.

"Well," Hermione hesitated, her brow furrowing like it did whenever she was explaining something. "I always think it means that at the climax of trouble, when everyone thinks all hope is lost, that's when something miraculous happens."

Ron stared at her, letting her words sink into him. She could always explain things better than teachers at Hogwarts. "It sounds like what we're going through right now, except for the miracle part."

Hermione smiled. "I like to think that the light's going to come in before the darkness closes over. It makes sense, though, doesn't it? It sounds exactly what's going on right now."

"Yeah," said Ron. He always had admired Hermione for her brains and the way she sees things (he even was a tad jealous on occasions). But right now, he knew he couldn't love her more than he did at that exact moment if he tried.

Ron was thrust very painfully back into reality as he stared at the headstone that marked Hermione's resting place. He wanted to believe in the quote, he really did, especially now. But at the moment, even with Voldemort gone, Ron felt like the darkness was pressing in on him closer and closer each day he got to live and Hermione didn't. Now, he could no longer have faith in the quote.

He knelt down in front of her grave, placing the rose he had brought in front of it.

"Hey, Hermione."

Ron stared at her grave, tracing his fingers over her name, feeling that maybe if he did so he might be able to feel her again.

"I'm going to be with you again, Hermione," he said, holding up the tiny vial of potion he had been able to brew with his old school cauldron. "I'm going to see you again and then I'll never leave your side again."

At that moment, Ron was sure he could feel her presence. He could feel her hand on his shoulder, her hair brushing his face. He could feel her hand running through his hair, even with the wind blowing through the small forest of trees beyond her grave…

And then she was gone.

Ron traced the letters of Hermione's name before standing and turning back to the Burrow.

* * *

That night, Ron prepared himself a glass of firewhisky and brought it up to his room, shutting the door tightly behind him.

Inside his vivid room, Ron looked at the picture of himself and Hermione at Bill and Fleur's wedding one last time. This was a shot Ginny had caught while they were dancing and then given to Ron a few days later. The two were clinging to each other as they danced to a slow Weird Sisters song. Ron was staring at Hermione with such love, that he was surprised later that he hadn't kissed her at that exact moment. Hermione had the same look in her eyes, and Ron realized that she had really loved him, and nobody else.

Ron placed the glass on his dresser and poured the tiny vial of potion into the firewhisky. He raised the glass to the picture and then to the sky. "To you, Hermione." Then, he downed the drink, and, as he expected, collapsed onto the floor as the world blacked out before his eyes.


	4. The Discovery

The scream of Molly Weasley was heard throughout the house the next morning.

Harry, who was at the Burrow visiting the Ginny, rushed upstairs and into Ron's room, from which the source of the scream was coming. Ginny, George (who both still lived at the Burrow after the war) and Mr. Weasley were all at his heels.

A frightening scene met their eyes. Mrs. Weasley was kneeling on the ground, where Ron lay sprawled on his back, his eyes closed and his face gray. A shattered glass was on the ground near Ron's empty hand, next to a stain that looked like it had been some sort of spirit. To Harry, he looked very much dead.

"He's not breathing!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "We need to get him to St. Mungo's!"

Mr. Weasley and Harry rushed forward and checked his heart and pulse, they both felt nothing. Together, they lifted Ron's body and hurried downstairs to the fireplace, where they Flooed to the hospital with Mrs. Weasley, George, and Ginny in their wake.

In mere minutes, the Healers at the hospital pronounced Ron dead of a poisoned potion.

The blow was like a slap in the face to Harry. He now had lost almost everyone he had truly loved: his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, Hermione, and now Ron…

He didn't recall the next few moments of his life…he vaguely remembered Ginny approaching him and hugging him, and him hugging back. It was only when he was back in the Burrow in Ron's empty room, did he really come to his senses and the news of Ron's death really hit him. He collapsed on Ron's bed and began to openly sob for one of the first times in his life.

He knew why Ron had died. He knew it had been a suicide, and the poison had been prepared by Ron himself. There was no need to investigate the death, there was no murder. He had watched his best friend in the last year; he had watched Ron mourn for the only girl he had ever loved. Harry had known it was only a matter of time before Ron completely snapped. But this…this sudden blow of his suicide was not what Harry had been expecting…

Harry sobbed himself to sleep that night in Ron's bed, thinking of his best friends and wondering why they had to leave him when they promised they would follow him wherever he decided to go.


	5. Together Again

Ron woke lying in the middle of a very beautiful and very empty place. It was eerily odd how lovely the whole place was, though it was so brightly white, Ron couldn't tell the ground from the air around him. The whiteness swirled around him like wispy clouds, as if he were surrounded by white fog.

Ron raised his head and shook it slightly. The whiteness didn't seem to be affecting his vision or head…or anything. He looked down and found he was wearing purely white robes; but something was wrong. His whole body was swirling and blending along with the white fog, and yet staying with him. It was as if he was part of this new place.

Ron didn't like this idea; he felt like his body had left him and only his spirit remained. This concept left him feeling strangely empty, and leaving with only one possibility to think…

He had to be dead. Could it truly be? Was he really dead? It was either this or it was a dream. But Ron remembered quite clearly brewing the poisonous potion for a week and knew that wasn't a dream. Ron could never even imagine a place like this, it was some distant place that gave off an aura of happiness, and Ron was feeling more secure as he stood and looked around.

A figure was walking toward him. From the distance, Ron could see it was a woman, much shorter than him and dressed in a white dress that blended with the white air. And before Ron could even question what he was looking at, he knew the girl could not be alive with him, but he had to be dead with her.

The girl stopped three feet in front of him, and Ron could only stare. There was Hermione, looking more angelic than he had ever seen her, with an impossibly less lively air to her aura. Her hair was less bushy, and curlier, making her more beautiful than she had been in life. She smiled at him knowingly and seemed to glow a nonexistent color, a color brighter than white itself.

Ron could only stare. Was this really _his_ Hermione? Or was it some spiteful trick his dreams were pulling him into? But he willed it not to be a dream…he wouldn't stand it if it was a dream…

Ron stood there like an idiot for only a moment more before flinging himself at Hermione, picking her up and squeezing her body to his, only to find she was oddly light, as if she weighed nothing at all. He disregarded this, and started to sob with overwhelming happiness into her hair as he placed her back on the ground. He could hear her crying too, soft sobs into his shoulder. He held onto her as if she would evaporate at the slightest retreat. This is exactly what he had been hoping for when he was brewing that potion, and he prayed to whatever higher power that this was not a dream at all…

Hermione pulled back from him, and looked him in the eyes, staring through to his heart with those soft brown eyes. His own eyes feasted on her face, taking in every feature that he had memorized long ago. Then, as if reacting on natural instinct, he leaned in and kissed her with a force and passion of which he had never used with Lavender. She responded just as keenly, their lips moving over each other's in perfect sync. To Ron, it was simple bliss.

Eventually, and possibly after the end of time, they both broke apart, finding they hardly breathed differently than before they had began kissing. They stared at each other with stupid grins on their faces for what felt like forever. Finally Ron spoke:

"I've missed you."

Hermione smiled back at him, making his insides dissolve into mush. "I thought I would never be able to do that to you," she said, regarding their kiss. "I cried so many times, even with this beautiful place, because I thought I would never see you again."

"Well, I'm not leaving," said Ron earnestly. "I'm never leaving you again, Hermione."

"Ron, what happened?" asked Hermione, and for the first time sounded frightened. "When I woke up here, I was terrified. I wandered around before I finally assumed I would never see you or Harry again."

Ron looked her in her eyes, and saw immense fear. "Hermione, I need you to listen to me. You and me, we're probably not going to see Harry or Ginny or anyone else for a long time."

He looked at her, and by the look on her face, she seemed to be comprehending what he was saying. "We're dead, aren't we?" she asked. Ron nodded, confirming her fear. Hermione let out a shaky sigh and squeezed his hand. "I thought I could be, but I thought it had to be a dream…a really long dream…I was only hoping it was…"

Hermione trailed off and her eyes filled with tears. Ron pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. She only pulled back a few minutes later when Ron realized she had figured something important out.

"Wait," she said, gripping Ron's arms tightly and piercing his eyes with her own. "Ron, do you happen to know – I mean, the last I remember of my life was being tortured at Malfoy Manor – D'you know – I mean, do you know how I died?"

Ron flushed and his face became stony as he remembered the worst day of his life. "Well," he said, swallowing heavily and never breaking eye contact with Hermione. "Hermione, you remember Bellatrix Lestrange torturing you, right?" she nodded vigorously, urging him to go on. "Well, while that was happening, me and Harry were able to break out of the dungeon. We broke into the room where they were torturing you, but you were unconscious. And then…"

Ron trailed off, feeling the tears well in his eyes. This was the hardest part of the terrifying story. Hermione gripped his hand and squeezed it, willing him to go on. Ron swallowed and continued. "And then, she said she didn't have any more use for you and told Greyback he could have you."

Ron buried his face in his hands, images of Greyback's attack flashing through his head. "I watched him tear you apart. The Death Eaters were holding us back, and I only wished I had fought harder than I had. There was a noise on the roof, and the chandelier fell on the Death Eaters holding me and Harry back. I think we found out later that the noise was Voldemort arriving, you know how he could fly, remember?" Hermione nodded and Ron sighed. "Well, I was able to escape with you and Harry, but by the time we arrived at Bill and Fleur's, you were gone."

By now, tears were streaking Ron's face, but he kept his eyes on Hermione. "I needed to see you again. I couldn't go on without you."

Hermione, who had been in the process of wiping the tears from his face, stopped and frowned. "What are you talking about? Ron, are you saying…?"

Ron nodded, knowing she knew where he was leading. "I killed myself."

Hermione stared at him, her eyes filled with hurt. Then, with Ron completely unsuspicious, she slapped him across the face sharply and started to stride away. Ron only stood there, bewildered, for a moment before grabbing her arm and whipped her around to face him again. He was determined to never allow her out of his sight again.

Before he could utter a word, however, Hermione beat him to it.

"Ron, why did you do that?" she asked exasperately and Ron could hear the tears in her voice. "You threw your whole life away, and there are people alive who care about you! What about Harry? Why would you do this?"

"Hermione," he said gently but firmly, so he had her attention. "I only did it because I knew I couldn't possibly live without you. I had been doing it for a year, and I just…I just couldn't go on anymore."

Hermione only stared at him with wide eyes. He shook his head. "You've no idea. I was way past terrified when you were being tortured. And then I watched as your body was buried in that graveyard by your house. I had to allow them to close the casket, even though I knew I would never see you again…" Ron's voice was choking with tears again, and Hermione wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging him closely. "It's alright, Ron. I'm here now. I just can't understand why you would risk everything like that. Why couldn't you just forget about me and find someone else?"

Ron stared at her. Was she serious? "Hermione, I could never replace you like that. I only killed myself because I couldn't even imagine a happy life without you. The days went by so painfully, and I just couldn't will myself to_ live_ anymore. I just… I love you too much, Hermione."

He said it so matter-of-factly that he even surprised himself. Of course he loved Hermione with all his heart and he knew it came out easily because it was true.

Hermione looked surprised too, and a beam spread across her face that threatened to break her face. "Oh, Ron! You don't know how much it means to me to hear that." She smiled up at him and leaned in to speak in his ear: "I need you to know that I love you too."

Ron laughed for the first in a year as she fell into his arms, squeezing his torso tightly. He inhaled the smell of her hair and realized how much he had missed it. The words she had uttered sank into his brain slowly, and he savored the meaning of them. Hermione loved him. _Hermione_ loved him. He could scream it to the world and it still wouldn't be enough to describe the happiness building up inside him. All the doubt of her returning his feelings that had been so prominent a year ago rushed out of him as he hugged her closer. She didn't want Harry, how could he ever think that?

He released Hermione and looked down at her, admiring every feature of her. "Merlin, I love you Hermione. I can't say it enough. I love you, Hermione."

She laughed and gently kissed his lips. "And I love you, Ron."

Ron smirked and turned away from her, running toward nothing in particular, the whiteness around him never ending. On pure instinct, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "I LOVE HERMIONE GRANGER!"

Hermione, who had caught up with him, laughed and tackled him to the ground with a rather passionate kiss. She broke away just as quickly and traced his nose with her finger. "And Hermione Granger loves you."

Ron grinned and stole another kiss from her. He was finally with Hermione again.

* * *

Ron and Hermione laid on the puffy white ground, their heads together, and bodies facing opposite directions.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing." He turned his head to give her a funny look. She met his eyes and said, "Sorry. I'm just making sure you'll still there. I got really lonely being here all alone, and I'm afraid this is all a dream."

Ron reached out and grabbed her hand securely. "If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up."

Hermione gave a small smile. "Do you think we'll ever see Harry again?"

"Yes," said Ron matter-of-factly. "I know we'll see him again. Because I got to see you again. Whatever higher power is doing this, they will let us see Harry again."

She nodded and gave a small sniffle. "I just hope we'll get to see everyone again. I just know if that's the case, we won't be seeing them for…a long time."

Hermione was crying again, and she sat up. Ron sat up with her and wrapped his arms around her. "You have me, Hermione. I'm not leaving you again, not ever." He tightened his grip around her, knowing he won't be letting her go again.


	6. Time To Move On

Harry could not sleep. He lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his flat's bedroom. Turning his head, he saw that his bedside clock read 2:26 am. Harry sighed and sat up, burying his face in his hands.

Ron had been dead for a year, and Hermione, two. Harry had just recently been strong enough to partially accept their deaths, because he could never truly and wholeheartedly accept the fact that they were dead. However, every once in a while, he would lay awake for a night just thinking about them and holding onto the many memories he had stored into his mind. On these nights, he usually lay alone, but on others, Ginny would come into his room and lay in his arms when she couldn't stop thinking about them. She was just as mournful as Harry was about her brother and Hermione.

A knock on the door startled Harry out of his many thoughts. The door cracked open and there was Ginny, looking surprised when she laid eyes on him. "You're awake."

"Couldn't sleep," said Harry simply. "You?"

"Nope." Ginny approached him carefully and sat down across from him, gripping his hands in her own. "Were you thinking of…them?"

Harry nodded, staring at their hands in between their crossed legs. "It's getting easier but – I still have nights when –" he cut off his sentence and fell silent.

"– When all those memories come back and you have no choice but to think of them?" finished Ginny suggestively. He nodded again but said nothing.

"I know the feeling," she said. "But we are going to get through this. We're not going to forget them. But we're going to move on." Harry looked up, meeting Ginny's pleading brown eyes for the first time. If it had been a year previous, he would've yelled at her for suggesting such an idiotic and arrogant thing. But he had had his year of mourning, and Ron and Hermione weren't coming back. He needed to move on.

And just as suddenly, their voices flooded his mind. He heard things they had said in the past, or things they had said so often, it had become their catch phrase.

Harry nodded and fell into Ginny's arms, hugging her tightly. He kissed her gently and promised he would move on from the deaths of his best friends. Just as she was snuggling down next to him in his bed, Harry heard the voices of his friends in his head one last time:

"_Ugh, spare me, mate! She's my sister!"_

"_Oh, honestly, Ron! I think it's sweet!"_


End file.
